Spring on Red Mountain: A Promising Start to the 2025 Vintage
As vines awaken across the Columbia Valley, Red Mountain is already showing signs of what’s to come—full canopies and early clusters beginning to form. The promise of a new vintage. While harvest headlines the vineyard story, at Mark Ryan Winery we know that spring sets the groundwork for the journey from vineyard to bottle. This year we are getting off to a great start.
May 31, 2025 | Mark Ryan Winery’s custom planting at Quintessence Vineyard, nestled at the top of Red Mountain AVA.
Spring in the vineyards
In these early weeks of the growing season, our team visits our vineyard sites regularly to track early growth — monitoring leaf canopy development, checking vine health, and assessing weather patterns to evaluate the potential of the upcoming vintage. From vineyard management decisions like shoot thinning to precise irrigation choices, decisions made now are crucial to develop structure, intensity, and balance in the bottle long before the grapes change color.
This week, our winemaker Mark McNeilly visited our custom planting at Quintessence Vineyard, located on the sun-drenched eastern slopes of Red Mountain AVA. The occasion? Fruit set — a critical stage that follows flowering, when the delicate blooms begin transforming into tiny grape clusters. It’s a subtle moment of vital importance, offering an early glimpse of the vintage ahead. A strong, even fruit set often signals a balanced crop and healthy vines. While there’s still much to come, this milestone gives us our first real sense of what’s possible.
May 31, 2025 | Our custom blocks of petit verdot and merlot at Quintessence with Candy Mountain in the background.
May 31, 2025 | Merlot from our Water Witch block at Quintessence vineyard beginning to set.
Looking ahead to the 2025 Vintage
This year, we are fortunate to have a great start to the growing season. A mild winter without the fear of frost has set the stage for healthy vine development across Red Mountain. Bud break occurred right on time, and with consistent weather patterns through spring, we’re seeing strong early growth and even fruit set across our blocks at Quintessence.
If the weather holds and conditions remain favorable, the 2025 vintage is poised to be a hallmark year reflecting the intensity and structure that Red Mountain is known for.
May 31, 2025 | Mark arriving at 5:30am for a morning vineyard visit.
May 31, 2025 | Walking through the Water Witch block.
Why Red Mountain Matters
Our connection to Red Mountain runs deep. In 1999, our very first haul of grapes came from the Ciel du Cheval Vineyard—an iconic site within this extraordinary AVA. More than two decades later, we’re still sourcing fruit from Ciel du Cheval, along with several other world class Red Mountain vineyards, drawn back year after year by the region’s unmatched quality and character.
Located along the banks of the Yakima River, Red Mountain AVA is home to some of the most concentrated and powerful wines in Washington State’s Columbia Valley. The intense sunlight from south-facing slopes, consistent winds, and well-drained soils create ideal growing conditions.
One of the key factors that makes Red Mountain so special is its pronounced diurnal shift—the significant difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures. As one of the warmest AVAs in the state, the intense sunlight during the day helps grapes develop rich sugars and bold flavors. At night, cooler temperatures slow the ripening process, preserving the grapes’ natural acidity and freshness.
This daily temperature swing contributes to the concentration and balance found in Red Mountain wines, giving them both power and elegance. It perfectly complements our winemaking approach, which blends Old World structure with New World fruit expression. Many of our favorite wines—including Dead Horse Cabernet Sauvignon, Water Witch Red Wine, and Wild Eyed Syrah—are sourced in this exceptional AVA.
May 31, 2025 | Mark setting off on the 216 mile journey from Red Mountain to Woodinville.
Spring on Red Mountain is a reminder that the producing great wines doesn’t start in the cellar — it begin in the vineyard. As the growing season progresses, we look forward to sharing more about the 2025 vintage.
